MOTORCYCLE fleets could become more popular as company car drivers opt for two wheels instead of four to avoid London Mayor Ken Livingstone's congestion charge.

Bikes are exempt from the daily £5 congestion charge and there has been a surge in enquiries about training to ride motorcycles since its introduction, according to the British School of Motoring (BSM).

Rob Maynard, a spokesman for BSM, said: 'We are less than a year into looking at this but initial enquiries from people interested in taking motorcycle training have doubled. Congestion charging is the obvious reason for this increase.'

The BSM centres recording the highest number of new enquiries when congestion charging was introduced were those situated around the M25, including Farnborough, Crawley and Reading.

However, there has also been an increase at regional centres. Martin Spiers, rider training manager at BSM, said: 'Even centres situated away from the capital have seen more enquiries as people realise that the experiment's success in London makes its eventual arrival in their own cities and towns more likely.

'We could see more motorcycle fleets emerging as a result of the congestion charges as cities such as Birmingham and Liverpool are looking at the London scheme.' Motorcycle fleet supplier Honda has also noticed an increased demand for in its bikes since the introduction of the congestion charge.

Richard Siney, operations manager at dealer Chiswick Honda, which has on-site changing facilities for workers riding into the capital, said: 'Honda has seen an interest in bikes due to the congestion charges from people wanting to avoid the charges and to find alternative ways of getting in to London.'

Call 0870 9021700 for information on BSM rider training